Qatar has affirmed the allocation of a large part of its international development assistance to the least developed countries, and expressed its aspiration to host the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2021.
This came in the statement of Qatar, delivered by Tamim Khalid al-Mansouri, member of the Qatari delegation taking part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, before the Second Committee on Item 21: Groups of Countries in Special Situations.
Al-Mansouri said that the least developed countries (LDCs) represent a tremendous human and natural resource capacity for global economic growth, well-being, prosperity and food security, as pointed out by the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2011-2020, which constitutes an important framework for overcoming the structural challenges faced by LDCs.
He noted the report of the UN Secretary-General under this Item which stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to accelerate progress towards the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action and to enhance synergies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its goals.
He added that Qatar has a proven track record in supporting the LDCs with much of its international development assistance being allocated to these countries.
In line with this belief, and in line with its belief in the need to pay the utmost attention to respond to the needs and priorities of the LDCs and to achieve inclusive and sustainable development, Qatar looks forward to hosting the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2021, and ensuring that this Conference builds on the experience gained and provides a positive momentum for the sustainable development of the least developed countries, he said.
In this regard, Qatar looks forward to co-operating with all partners to make this conference a success, which will be an important contribution to the common endeavours to identify new challenges, opportunities and means to address them.
Given the global nature of climate change and the need for effective international co-operation and response, Qatar announced at the Climate Action Summit, held in Doha in September, the contribution of $100mn to support LDCs and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to cope with the phenomenon, al-Mansouri noted, stressing that this contribution stems from the belief of Qatar that there is a role for all to address this phenomenon, which is an obstacle to moving forward in the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
He underlined that Qatar will continue its efforts to remain a platform for co-operation between all countries and parties that believe in the importance of joint action to meet the challenges.
